NY sees nation's biggest population decline

NEW YORK - New York's population is dropping again, with more than 126,000 people leaving the state between July 2019 and July 2020.  It is the most significant loss in recent years and no other state in the nation has lost as many residents.

This could spell trouble for the state's representation in Congress. The number of representatives each state has is based on its population.

New York's population decrease in the latest census could mean the state would lose one house seat.  The state would also lose a vote in the electoral college for presidential elections.

According to the Census Bureau, Texas will gain three house seats, Florida two, and Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, North Carolina and Montana will all gain one.

Populations in those states are growing as more people retire and move.

Many of the states with growing populations are traditionally red states but are seeing an influx of people from bluer parts of the nation, causing political shifts. Arizona voting for Biden in the presidential election is an example.

A coalition of local governments and advocacy groups had sued the Trump administration to prevent the census count from ending one month early and claiming census takers cut corners which could reduce the number of immigrants and minorities that would be counted.  The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed that claim.

The Census Bureau will be releasing the official count in the next few months.